Launch is a Very Big Day for People of Bangladesh

Bangladesh became the 57th country to have a satellite in space on May 11, 2018 with the launch of Bangabandhu-1. The satellite will reduce the country's dependence on foreign satellite operators. The satellite will provide benefits to the weather department, defense sectors and will provide television and telecommunication services to rural areas in Bangladesh. Plans include telemedicine and e-learning applications.

SpaceX's landmark 50th Falcon 9 launch, lifting HispaSat 30W-6 to orbit took place shortly after midnight on Tuesday, March 6, 2018 from Space Launch Complex 40. Marked as the heaviest satellite that SpaceX has lifted to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO), HispaSat 30W-6 replaces the 30W-4 satellite covering the Mediterranean Sea and provides new Ka-, Ku- and C-band transponders to Europe and Latin America over the next 15 years.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas-V rocket lifted the GOES-S weather-tracking satellite to orbit. The launch occurred at the top of the launch window, 5:02 PM on March 1, 2018. The weather was perfect - the 45th Space Wing Weather Squadron announced a 0% probability of violating weather constraints. The rocket was flying with the extra-large fairing that is five meters in diameter instead of the usual four. Because of the mass of the satellite, four external solid rocket boosters were attached to the Atlas V to provide additional lift. Those extra engines provided a beautiful white trail of smoke as the rocket ascended.

Dr. George Ricker from Massachusetts Institute of Technology hosted a media day today for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The principal investigator explained TESS's role between the Kepler Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.